WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR DECEMBER 2014

Merry Christmas ! I hope you all had a wonderful day or if its just started it will be! We celebrated the night away last night and continued this morning. I was able to watch my grandchildren open their gifts from Santa. So fun! Just what I needed.
On the food front.. well, the ham and potato's won me over. I made a vow I wouldn't go over board and so far so good!
I know the scale will say a few pounds over just from the sodium. I'm ok with that. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm back to work, that always helps me to not stray.

Enjoy your day,
Rosie from Mass

afternoon and Merry Christmas to all I havent seen today.. we had a good morning, Tom finished caulking and washing the windows it was cool and breezy but ended up going to the pool.. ahhhh to float around in an 86 degree pool on Christmas day,is heaven to me...
we will be off in a few minutes to the pot luck at the Park here.. it is always a fun time and lots of food, but I will pick and choose wisely.. bringing my big 36 oz insulated glass of ice water with me.. well ta ta for now. and Heather your lunch looks like it came right out of a fine magazine..

Boxing Day here and logged food at 2211 cals and printed sheet out. Thank goodness Brian said to enjoy Christmas and have what I planned.
Had my toast and banana and walked for 1 hour then breakfast. Circuit A (back, tris and booty soon) then protein shake
I wish I had seen Brian 12 months ago instead of fat dietitian. I see him again in a week and have to print out my food and exercise sheets oh my. Is what it is. Also weigh and BF% morning and night and record. I gained a pound yesterday, not surprised as cals were 2502 sigh . Did enjoy the meals though.
Will see what a week brings, has to be better
Lesley in Tasmania

Did 45 minutes of Paul Katami's ASAP Band Fitness worrkout DVD. Going to try out one of my new DVD's tomorrow, just not sure which one

Cynthia - happy birthday to you son! Sure do hope you're feeling better

Jan - I knew that your daughter NEVER missed Christmas, I just meant that sometimes she missed it on the exact day or with you all together. but I KNEW that you would never have her miss it.

christmas miracle - Bryan called and I actually got to talk to Diana!!! They got presents from Diana's mother. Evidentally packages from inside the EU aren't scrutanized as much as packages from outside the EU. We put about 250 euros into his paypal account.

We opened our presents. As I had hoped, I got some more DVD's (truthfully, I would have like more!). You know, after we opened the presents, for a few years now, it seems that Denise is depressed. Even Vince mentioned it. It's as if she's expecting more. Vince even said to her "well, you got everything on your list and a few other things, too". It seems that she gets disturbed when we mention Kris. We suspect she feels we should be doing more for Pete. Well, she sent a list of what he'd like and one of the items cost $100 and the other item cost $200. We got him a gift card to GameStop. We're going to pay $200 for someone who has never once come down to see us, who we had to pull teeth to get to come to Jess' for Thanksgiving. I don't think so.

I just uploaded videos of our Christmas decorations onto Facebook. if anyone wants to take a peek, I'll be glad to "friend" you. I don't think you can post videos here on MFP

flowerbaby - how wonderful next Christmas you'll have a new grandbaby. How old will he be then?

ssmalt - welcome back!

Michele in NC

DH and DS are home. Mom-in-law made ham and scalloped potatoes. She sent home ham. DS left with 2 bowling balls and returned with 3. Not sure why, but since I don't bowl, I will probably never understand.

Brenda - sorry about your water heater, and all the hassle. Happened to me and ex one year, and it is a LOT to handle, especially during the Holidays.

Janet - I lived until age 18 in the Chicago suburbs. Then I moved to Winona Minnesota until about 7 years ago, when we moved to the Milwaukee area. So, I'm used to the weather. But I am looking forward to retiring somewhere that is a little less cold and snowy during the Winter.

I empathize with all the Mom's that have to tolerate a deviation from tradition. My DD recently decided she is wiccan, and (in my opinion) is too afraid to get too far from her dad's house, because if she makes him mad he will stop loving her. I only believe this because it is the way I interpreted her dad's relationship with his mom. Anyway, my immediate family has always worked in some sort of customer service or owned a business that required being open during Holidays, so we have our traditions in what ever manner we can. This year it was DS and DH in Minnesota (his dad passed away Dec. 26, 2013) while my sister and hubby visited us for snacks yesterday, and my Dad and I went to a movie today. We spent plenty of quality time reminiscing about my Mom, who passed away in 2010, and my Sister, who lived with us until she passed January of this year. And my youngest sister, who visits Christmas Eve with her hubby, needs to leave early, because he comes from a huge family that does not negotiate their tradition. If we want her to spend time with us, we take what we can get and don't complain to her. Change is hard, but it makes us stronger. I just do my best to make the best of whatever situation I have from one day/week/month/year to the next. I don't always like it, but I truly don't have much control over anyone except myself, and being angry or unhappy is exhausting. It's hard enough to be an employee, wife, Mom, and dieter. That's all the energy I can afford to expend.

So, I enjoyed the middle of the bed. Enjoyed the vegetables. Enjoyed not having to watch anything except what I chose on TV. And, I allowed my Mother-in-law to spend her first Christmas as a widow with her eldest Son and youngest Grandson. That in itself, feels like a gift I gave to her.

Now, after all the extra sodium the last few days, I am trying to drink extra water, and look forward to getting back on track to healthy eating and a little exercise again tomorrow. One of my co-workers suggested 3 sessions of 10 minutes on the exercise bike, so I'll see if I can get to work at 6:15am tomorrow, ride during lunch, the ride a little after work. I think I can do it

Hugs for Everyone ! ! !

I convinced my DD to take a picture yesterday. This is her fiancé Justin, my daughter Kaitlynn, and my son Payne.




Terri in Milwaukee

teri, your words brought me to tears. That is exactly what we should be. As I have told my husband many times, he has only responsibility for himself, not other drivers, not our children and how they have chosen to live their lives. Negative feelings can be like cancer. You have given his Mom a wonderful gift and taught your family many things.

Michele, how wonderful about your Christmas miracle. You won't stop smiling for a long time!!!

pccd, all those awards all for your dog?? How wonderful. We had a beautiful Shelty, larger than the usual and I always wished we could enter him into competition but we made a mistake on filling out his AKC papers and I know we could have just sent it back in corrected but I realized all we wanted was just a dog for our family. And he was.

We had a simple lunch but the company was wonderful. My brother in law has his quirks, like all men do since women never do. One is that he loves the middle of the cake, brownies, etc. He says it is moister. So he made the brownies and before we got there, while they were still warm he cut out the middle..all of it.. and ate it. The pieces were supposed to be 4x4 but what he left around the edges were about 1x1/2. I guess this was good for me since I ate 2 of them. And they were hard, he had overcooked it. Oh well, it was chocolate and it took care of my chocolate urge. But when Michelle, me and my sister get together we always have a good time. All of us prevent her talking about all of her surgeries, pains, medicines. Or maybe the joy of being together makes her forget them. Then when I got home I called my 2 brothers. The brother who has the son who this Christmas will mark his one year anniversary of being heroin free and the same guy that after his girlfriend got pregnant with their 3rd child just up and left her. His excuse was that he felt like he needed to find himself. So we were wondering what is was going to be like at Christmas. He didn't feel like we would want him. I know some families would not want him but we would have felt empty if he wasn't here. So he was going to stay the night at Michelle's house but after them all being together at Christmas at my brother's house, he has stayed a good Dad all this time, he is going to spend the night with her and the 3 kids in the hotel. I hope someone packs a condom in their suitcase! The other brother also has a son who needs condoms, he also has 3 babies and not married. These are the 6 babies all 3 and under that will be here next week!

Joyce, Indiana

I’m in CO at DD’s house this Christmas. DH is in Eastern Oregon with his sister and her husband. Christmas with the little ones is a treat. It started to snow this afternoon and is lovely outside. I’m enjoying being warm and cozy inside. I’m set to fly out of here day after tomorrow, and hope to meet Rori for a visit before I leave. I hope this beautiful snow doesn’t make getting out of here difficult or prevent me from meeting Rori. I’m ready to be with DH and our dog.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.




Katla temporarily in snowy Colorado


“Tradition is not to preserve the ashes but to pass on the flame.”

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


December Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep.

Oooooh I feel so peaceful! :bigsmile:
Of course, I missed the grandchildren yesterday, but DH and I had a wonderful Christmas just together.
My blini lunch, which you have all been so complimentary about, was really posted as a joke! I thought it looked so funny when the whole of the UK is tucking in to turkey and all the trimmings! Followed by an enormous Christmas pudding. :laugh: Blinis are one of our favourite things and the bonus is that it is so easy. I was very grateful this year that I was not responsible for the Christmas dinner marathon!

Today I have half a mind to go to our supermarket and buy stuff to cook ahead and freeze for our New Year guests. I just have to refresh the bedroom my son will be sleeping in on Sunday night. I've got the washing on now. I'm feeling a bit lazy though. DH will be watching all the sports on TV this afternoon up in his study, so I have the opportunity to watch my French film on my own. It is 3 hours long and quite racy, so I prefer to watch it alone! ! ! ! ! It's frosty out so I wll only drive if it thaws a bit and get back by 3pm when the sports start.

Barbie - your holiday sounded marvellous!

Joyce - you have such a big heart! :flowerforyou:

Katla - hope you get to see Rori!

Michele - yeah for Brian phoning! My DS#1 texted to say he had been, with his father's family, to lunch at the local landowner's chateau! ! ! ! ! ! (They are renting a house from him) He said it was "V posh". :laugh: It takes a lot to get him to communicate! :laugh:

Vicki - I love reading about your life too. (*) To me you are a real heroine.

Love to all. For all those who have to work today I hope it goes well. :flowerforyou: Best wishes to everyone.

Heather in frosty Hampshire UK

Well, I stepped on the scale at work, and I'm up 2.2 pounds. My guess is that most of it is water, so I will drink LOTS of water today, and maybe an extra cup of tea. I arrived at work early, and rode the bike for 10 minutes, will ride another 10 minutes during lunch, then another 10 minutes after work. So far this seems like a plan I can handle long-term(assuming I can get DS out the door in time when school starts again).

Joyce - "has his quirks, like all men do since women never do". L O L That whole story about the brownies had me laughing at work for a LONG time ! ! ! I thought my son was the only person to do soemehting like this.

Better get to my paperwork, or the end of the month/year will come and I won't be prepared. Hugs to everyone ! ! !

Terri in Milwaukee

Ladies, I love reading about your Christmases and your lives. We all have our trials and tribulations with family, work, etc., but it is somehow inspiring to hear about other's and how they handle things.

We had a very quiet and relaxed Christmas with only the two of us for the first time in 42 years. I loved not having to cook a holiday meal. Even when it's just for 3 people it's a lot of work. I bought a tomato pie from a farmer's market, where my BFF gets them and talks about them all the time. OMG it was so good that I could eat the whole thing in one sitting, but I had a very small slice. It was a nice addition to my pork roast dinner.

I got in my exercise yesterday and now that I'm doing it daily, I finally find it is getting a bit easier. The best Christmas gift for me is that I stepped on the scale this morning and rather than going up, it was down 1/2 pound. Woo Hoo!

I have to return or exchange most of what I got DH so I am going to hit the crowds and do it today. Don't want to miss the sales on the exchanges.

I was thinking about the new year and my only resolution is to keep doing what I'm doing, with maybe a few improvements. (like adding some exercises) I just know that this journey is so much easier with MFP and all of you. So I thank you, ladies.

Janet in Myrtle Beach, SC

We had such a nice Christmas. Wednesday night we had a short church service and heard from an old shepherd who told us about that first Christmas night long ago. (My father in law did a wonderful job). Then we went to hubs family for dinner. All 4 of the brothers and families were there plus a few extras so we had 21 in all. We stayed until about 10:30.

Once home we opened our own small family gifts and finally crawled into beds about 1am. Up at 7:00 on Christmas day for some breakfast and Santa stockings. Then back to the big family for more gifts and food.

I received a new pair of running shoes (well for me walking for now). My old pair was 8 years old and always give me big blisters. I also got a Fitbit so I'm learning how to use that and sync with MFP.

Working today but it is quiet in the office as many people have the day off.

Diana in northeast Indiana

Michele: Congratulations on hearing from Bryan! Yay!!! :flowerforyou:


I’m happy that I’ve had the chance to spend Christmas with DD, but I’m starting to get homesick for DH, the dog, and home, too. This is my last full day here. Tomorrow I fly out for Boise, assuming the airport will be open. I hope that it will be. I also hope that I’ll have a chance to meet Rori. There is white stuff on the ground. The last time we had Christmas snow was several years ago when DS was stationed in Colorado Springs. We flew in, rented a four-wheel drive vehicle, and drove to DS’s house. We had snow and enjoyed it. By the time we needed to fly home, the airport was open but there were long lines of people who had been delayed. We made it to our flight in the nick of time. I’d like less excitement this time if possible.





Katla, temporarily in beautiful and snowy Colorado


“Tradition is not to preserve the ashes but to pass on the flame.”

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


December Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep.

Back to the program today! Although I wanted Christmas cookies for breakfast, I had high protein cereal, coffee, and orange juice. The orange juice was a treat. I never drink it anymore, but I had leftover from the cake since Kroger didn't have the small can of concentrate. I've walked 5.4 miles and balanced the checkbook and budget. I left the cake at Mama's, along with most of the cookies and fudge.

Michelle, I'm so glad you heard from Bryan.

I've been thinking of all of you for whom the holiday season was not what you had hoped for. My own family is quite dysfunctional, but I try to focus on the positive and not share the dysfunction. Believe me when I say it is there, though. If I let it, it could really get me down.

I'll do an official weigh-in on January 1. I'm doing pretty good on my December goals. Water is the main one I am not achieving. I'm averaging 11 to 12 thousand steps with the fitbit and hitting my fiber goal most days.

Such wonderful touching stories. Love you all. :flowerforyou: X

Heather UK